Tube wonder lock

ABSTRACT

An adjoining device for securing paired items of clothing, such as socks, or gloves comprises a releasable fastening tab strip embedded with velcro hook and loop fastening elements and a tab strip embedded with velcro hooks wherein first tab appended horizontally on one sock of a pair and the second tab appended vertically with a belt loop form on the other sock of same pair allows loop section of first tab to engage after being inserted through the opening of belt loop of second tab strip with hooks, and then, closed to interconnect with hooks of first tab strip appended horizontally providing a secure releasable attachment that resist forces that separate paired articles clothing during the laundry process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

In general, this invention relates to an adjoining (attachment) devicefor securing and holding together paired articles of clothing (socks,gloves, etc.) from being separated during and after the process oflaundering.

2. Description of Related Art

The common household task of matching articles of clothing that come inpairs, particularly socks and gloves, after which the washing and dryingprocess has been completed, often results in a frustrating and timeconsuming chore for the individual performing the duty of launderingbecause of, but not limited to, similarities in design, fabric, size, ora large quantity of an assortment of pairs of clothing items thatrequires an individual to manually sort and match paired items prior toplacing them in a designated storage area.

Various methods for adjoining pairs of clothing items have beendeveloped and proposed as a means for resolving this common issue ofkeeping together pairs of clothing items throughout the laundry processof washing and drying. However, though many present a means foraccomplishing such a task, to one extent, or another they are alllimited in either areas of flexibility, availability, efficiency,durability, or they may be of a discomfort to the wearer (individual)over a gradual period of time due to the placement and type of fasteningelement being used as the attachment device such as a metallicsnap-type, or hook and eye fastener etc.

In order to promote longevity of both the attachment device and thepairs of clothing being joined by such a mechanism, flexibility isessential of which promotes comfort and enables paired socks to endureseveral laundry processes of washing and drying without prematurelyrupturing due to the harsh stresses that can be caused by metallic typefasteners, which can also, in the process of time, cause a discomfort tothe wearer. An attachment devise for securing socks disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 6,185,751 to Mason, is an embodiment of a male and femalemetallic snap-type-fastener attached to each sock that releasablyengages for purposes of, but not limited to, laundry and storage.However; metallic type fasteners have a tendency to incur, in areaswhere appended, localized stresses that can blemish the appearance ofpaired articles of clothing due to external forces that occur in thelaundry process thus creating an undesirable contact, or rubbing againstthe skin of the wearer as noted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,318 to H. F.Jones that if any discomfort felt against the skin by any fasteningelement associated with socks, or gloves is unacceptable.

Another method for securing pairs of socks in preparation forlaundering, is the use of a sock clip which is found in U.S. Pat. No.6,389,657 granted to Turner. Durable in it's construction, yet this clipis subject to the probability of being misplaced, lost, or located in anarea contrary to where an individual has chosen to take off their socks.Therefore, this pairing attachment, along with other externalattachments (clamps, pins, clips, etc) devised and proposed for securingpaired articles of clothing, particularly socks, lacks availability asnoted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,555 to Boxer al.

Being that we live in a microwavable (fast-paced) society, by modernstandards, especially in rapidly growing countries, the demand forconvenience and efficiency of reliable products, or services to berendered in a timely fashion is greatly appreciated by both the retailerand the consumer upon reception of such products, or services. As itrelates to an attachment device for securing pairs of socks togetherthroughout the laundry process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,318 toH. F. Jones, it is both durable and flexible comprising two tabs whereina flexible strip of cloth with hook and pile elements appended to eachsock of a pair of which, when both tabs are open, are able to join bothsocks by way of the velcro hook end and loop end affixed on one sock ofa pair releasably attaches to the hook end and loop end elements of theother sock of same pair in a vertical alignment. This system of securingpaired articles of clothing, such as socks and gloves, prior to andafter the laundry process, has resolved many of the issues documented inU.S. Pat. No. 4,165,555 to Boxer et al. However, taking intoconsideration a person(s) returning home from work, school, or exhaustedfrom an athletic endeavor (excercise) etc, fatigue can render oneimpatient having no desire to release both tabs of hook and pile, andthen, interconnect the open tab strip with hook and pile appended to onesock of a pair to the open tab strip with hook and pile of the othersock of same pair positioning the attachment of both socks in parallelfashion as illustrated in FIG. 2 of drawing sheet 1 of 3 in said U.S.Pat. No. 5,918,318 to J. H. Franklin so that the tab strip hook end ofone sock of a pair can adjoin with the tab strip loop end of the othersock of same pair and vice versa. Although convenient, this methodinvolves a four-step-process which is not time friendly in today'smodern society. Therefore, this method of securing socks of a pair inpreparation for laundering is inefficient, time consuming, and can beintolerable when time is of the essence.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an attachment device developed for the purposesof adjoining and securing paired articles of clothing such as, but notlimited to, a pair of socks, to prevent the separation of attachedclothing items during the laundry process of washing and drying. Theembodiment of the device is a tab consisting of a flexible strip ofcloth having two sections, composed of velcro, the first embedded withhook elements appended to first sock of a pair and the second sectionembedded with pile elements moveable between a open and closed positionboth affixed in a horizontal angle thus releasably engages with thesecond tab with a strip of cloth backing embedded with hook elements,velcro, appended vertically in a belt loop fashion to the second sock ofsame pair. The preferred position of the attachment appended isapproximately one inch and a half of an inch below the edge of theopening of the sock which enables the wearer to neatly fold the edge ofthe sock 2 to 3 inches downward overlapping the attachment, or allow thetabs to be shown openly displaying an indicia (trademark, design, etc.).

The objective of the present invention is to provide an attachmentdevice that resolves, or ameliorates the problems found in the prior artaforementioned under the heading, DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART. Theembodiment of the attachment device is comprised of both the necessaryelements to adjoin and secure socks of a pair throughout the laundryprocess, and the essential qualities of durability, flexibility, andefficiency which promotes long life of the attachment device, comfortfor the wearer, and cost effectiveness for the consumer being that itgreatly reduces the burden of having to replace a pair of socks due toone of a pair being lost, or misplaced.

Another object of the invention to be expressed is to provide a tab witha hook and pile structure that releasably engages with a second tab withhook elements both being separately appended to each sock of same pairby means of, but not limited to, stitching which forms a durablelong-lasting flexible mend promoting long life of the sock and theattachment, thus exceeding the durability of attachments formed withmetallic-snap-type fasteners devised as a fastening device for securingpaired articles of clothing.

Another important aspect of the object of the invention to be expressedis the necessity of same devise having a tab with a hook and loop endand a separate tab with hooks that provides a reliable releasablyattachment of which usage and procedure is child friendly to utilize(attach), and time-wise, more efficient than the procedure found in U.S.Pat. No. 5,918,318 to J. H. Franklin which requires a four-step processto adequately attach both socks of a pair, whereas in the presentinvention, comparably improved, it only requires a two-step process toattach socks of a pair in preparation for laundry, less time andmaterials needed to manufacture without depleting from the ability tosecure socks of a pair.

One of the primary objectives established in the development of theattachment device is to provide an easy attach-to-join release tab ofwhich usage and procedure is child friendly, efficient (not timeconsuming), durable, non-depreciation in comfort to the wearer, and costeffective (inexpensive) for the purposes of being manufactured.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment device thatis affixed to the socks to assure availability prior to and after thelaundry process which also, unlike external attachment devices (clip,pins, connectors, etc.) such as found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,775,849 to R.Messman, or U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,657 to D. C. Turner, it does not barethe risk of being lost, or found by a child which bares the posibilityof being swallowed.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an attachment devicethat is inexpensive to manufacture of which process also imprints, orembeds an indicia of origin being that the attachment can be customizedfor mass production at the manufacturing facility of Fastenation Inc.,120 Brighton Road, Unit #2, Clifton N.J. 07012 USA and Textol SystemsInc., 435 Meadow Lane, Carlstadt, N.J. 07072.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an arrangement whereinthe elements of the attachment device, efficiently, releasably engagessecuring, but not limited to, socks of a pair for laundry and storageresolving the problems found in the aforementioned prior art andsimultaneously providing the essential qualities of durability, comfort,flexibility, availability, and cost effectiveness.

The Present and forthcoming objects of this invention will be expressedmore accurately and vividly in the drawings and specificationsthroughout the furtherance of this review.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In accordance with the present invention, one embodiment of the currentdrawings shall be described in reference to:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a pair of socks with the firstembodiment of one sock of a pair appended with a releasable tab and thesecond sock of same pair appended with a tab strip with a belt loop.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective exploded view of both tabs of the pair ofsocks in FIG. 1 in an opened position illustrating the elements (cloth,hook and pile) and construction of both tabs.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial front view of both socks with tabs of FIG.1 with one tab in an open position appended to one sock of a pair andthe second tab appended to the second sock of same pair with a beltloop.

FIG. 4 is a partial front view of both socks with tabs of FIG. 3 showingthe pile end of first tab of first sock of a pair being inserted intothe belt loop of second tab of second sock

FIG. 5 is a partial front view of FIG. 1 showing the arrangement of theinvention interconnected by both tabs of both socks of a pair.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As illustrated in FIG. 1 tabs 12 and 14 of this preferred invention isfurther explained in detailed for the purposes of broadening it's usageand function as it relates to securing a pair of socks 10 a and 10 b.

One element of the attachment device tab 12 is comprised of a flexiblestrip cloth backing 16 with two sections the first consisting of a stripof pile elements 20 and the second consisting of a strip of hookelements 18 affixed horizontally to the upper back side of sock 10 a offirst sock of a pair in an open position as shown in FIG. 3 which can beclosed, as illustrated in FIG. 1, to shield from foreign matter, orsnagging of other clothing material.

Another important embodiment of the attachment device is tab 14 which iscomprised of a strip of hook elements 24, FIG. 2, fabricated upon aflexible strip of cloth 22 which is appended to the back side of sock 10b, FIG. 3, forming a belt loop with the hook elements 24 facing the legportion of sock 10 b and the flexible strip of cloth 22 of sameembodiment facing outwardly shielding hook 24 against foreign matter andsnagging of other clothing items providing an advantage over devicesrequiring the opening of both tabs for the purposes of securing articlesof a pair as found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,853 to Rubin and Robert Boxer.

In particular, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 illustrates the method by which thetabs 12 and 14, comprised of hook and pile elements, are interconnectedto prepare socks of a pair, 10 a and 10 b, for the laundry process ofwashing, drying, and storage. In the current procedure illustrated inFIGS. 4 and 5, the pile strip 20 of tab 12, as seen in FIG. 4 of sock 10a, being in an opened position, is inserted through the belt loop of tab14 of sock 10 b which enables the pile elements 22 of tab 12 of sock 10a to interconnect with the hook elements 24 of tab 14 which forms thefirst engagement of the attachment. Easily the pile strip 20 of tab 12is fully inserted through and connected to the belt loop, a novelty ofefficiency, consisting of hook elements 24 of tab 14 of sock 10 b,engages with the hook elements 18 of tab 12 of sock 10 a forming adouble attachment which resist the forces that incur in conventional andmodernized washers and dryers, thus preventing socks of a pair frombecoming separated during the laundry process.

Another important aspect of the invention is the method of fixation oftabs 12 and 14 and the preferred location of the same embodiment.

-   -   1. As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible strip of, but not limited        to, cloth 16 allows for stitching in a rectangular pattern        around the perimeter of the hook end 18 which enables the pile        end 20 to be opened and closed with very little effort as        illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5 being affixed to the back side of        sock 10 a. Stitching can also be performed upon the face of the        hook end 18 in a diagonal design forming an (X) pattern centered        in a rectangular pattern without depleting the ability of the        hook elements 18 from engaging securely with the pile strip 20.        An area of affixation for effectiveness in functionality and        usability is preferably the upper back side of socks of a pair        as illustrated in FIG. 5 where, also, the indicia 26 can be        revealed representing the origin of it's being.    -   2. The suggested area for stitching tab 14 is at both ends of        the vertical flexible strip of cloth 22 in a pattern that        resembles a square which, after being affixed to sock 10 b,        forms a belt loop that allows easy insertion of pile strip 20 of        sock 10 a and effortless engaging of hook elements 24 and pile        elements 20 requiring only a two-step method for securing        articles of a pair as opposed to the four-step procedure        discussed in the SUMMARY in paragraph 010.    -   3. Other feasible and effective methods for affixing the present        embodiment to socks of a pair are lamination and flexible epoxy        cements which are currently being manufactured and sold by        Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing as noted in U.S. Pat. No.        6,775,849 to R. Messman.

In reference to the dimensions of the embodiment of the presentinvention, tab 12 is approximately three inches in length, and a half ofan inch in width. The hook strip 18 and pile strip 20 of Tab 12 isapproximately one inch and a half of an inch in length and a quarter ofan inch in width. Tab 14 is approximately one inch and a half of an inchin length with a width of a half of an inch. The hook strip 24 of tab 14is approximately a quarter of an inch in width.

Both tabs, 12 and 14, are located approximately one inch and a half ofan inch below the top edge of the socks 10 a and 10 b of which, ifdesired, the wearer can fold the edge of the sock over the tabs 12 and14 for extra protection of the embodiment especially during variousintense physical activities, or they may be shown openly revealing theindicia 26 of FIGS. 1 and 5 representing the origin of it's being.Relative to the various sizes of socks that are worn by individuals ofdifferent ages, the embodiment of the present invention can be modifiedin size respectfully for suitability of the wearer without negating fromthe scope of the invention aforementioned in the dimensions of theembodiment of the attachment device. Thus, other feasable modificationsmay be revealed through those skilled in the art.

The construction and visual aspects of the present invention is notlimited to the dimensions of the current embodiment as it relates to themost beneficial means of carrying out the invention, but all aspects ofthe preferred embodiment pertaining to the attachment device shall beexpressed within the scope of the claims in the furtherance of thespecifications.

1. In conjunction with a pair of socks and an adjoining device forattaching both socks of a pair, first sock of same pair affixed with areleasably folding tab with an area for an indicia placement on backingof second section of first tab consisting of a complementary hook andpile fastening means adjutant to second tab fabricated with hooksaffixed to second sock of same pair comprising: I. A flexible tabconstructed of a strip of cloth, with applicable indicia on backing,affixed horizontally having two sections the first fabricated with astrip of hook elements, which also is appended to upper back side of legportion, FIG. 3, of first sock of same pair adjutant to second sectionof same tab of first sock fabricated with a strip of pile elements ismoveable in an open, when attaching, and closed, while being worn,position with both sections of same tab forms a fastening means. II. Aflexible second tab devised of a cloth backing consisting of an embeddedstrip of fabricated hooks with second tab appended to upper back side ofleg portion of second sock of same pair affixed in a belt loop fashionadjutant to pile section of first tab of first sock of the same pair.III. Said first tab in conjunction with said second tab appendedseparately to said socks of a pair, said second section with fabricatedpile elements of first tab is inserted through and pressed against, thusinterconnecting with, belt loop with hook elements of said second tab,now overlaying hook elements of said first tab forms a second engagementwith first section of first tab providing a double fastening meanssecuring said socks of a pair for laundry.
 2. The socks of claim 1,wherein socks of a pair carrying tabs appended on upper back side ofsame pair attaches together same socks of a pair by fastening means ofhook and pile elements fabricated on said first tab of first sock of apair and hook elements fabricated on said second tab of second sock ofsame pair.
 3. The socks claimed in claim 1, first tab comprised of astrip of cloth embedded with two sections a hook end and a pile endappended on upper back side of first sock of a pair complimenting thehook elements of second tab appended in a belt loop fashion affixed toupper backside of second sock of same pair allowing for easy insertionof pile strip of first tab to interconnect with hook elements of secondtab providing a fastening means to secure both socks of a pair duringthe laundry process.
 4. The socks of claim 1, in which the pile end offirst tab appended to the first sock of a pair releasably opens andcloses protecting the first tab when closed from foreign matter, orclothing providing accessibility for attaching to second tab when openedwhich is efficiently initiated due to the second tab being affixed in abelt loop fashion with hook elements facing inwardly away from otherclothing articles to prevent snagging having a strip of cloth backingwhich has a none attaching surface.
 5. The first and second tabs asclaimed in claim 1, the first tab comprised of a a strip of flexiblecloth consisting of two sections a strip of pile elements and a strip ofhook elements affixed horizontally on said first sock adjutant amoveable pile end which opens and closes, thus when the second sectionof first tab is utilized in a closed position, it interconnects withhook elements of second tab affixed vertically in a belt loop fashionwhich, afterwards, further extends through belt loop forming a secondengagement with hook elements of first section of first tab of firstsock efficiently and securing the same of which resist forces that occurin conventional and modernized washers and dryers during the laundryprocess.
 6. The socks of claim 1 wherein an attachment device iscomprised of hook and pile fastening elements which forms a tab thatreleasably opens and closes and a tab strip in a belt loop fashion. 7.The socks of claim 1 wherein first tab of first sock is closed whenbeing worn with an an indicia imprinted on backing of second section andopened for attaching to second tab of second sock of a pair for securingsaid pair of socks from separating during laundry.